A $5.6 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. will enable Nextech, a nonprofit dedicated to creating equitable access to computer science (CS) curriculum and experiences for K-12 Indiana students, to continue its work through October 2027 and reach more than 3,500 teachers.
“We are deeply grateful for this support from Lilly Endowment, which is key to giving Indiana teachers and students the skills they need to succeed in our high-tech world,” said Nextech President Karen Jung. “In addition to providing our traditional support, we will also be adding an artificial intelligence (AI) component to our curriculum to help teachers and students best understand and use AI tools.”
The majority of Lilly Endowment funding will go toward supporting Nextech’s Computer Science Professional Development Week (CSPDWeek) and ongoing professional development for teachers.
Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education, celebrated the announcement.
“In Indiana, we are committed to ensuring that every child has access to the high-quality learning opportunities that will set them up for future success,” Jenner said. “We know that central to this is equipping all students with computer science skills, including how to responsibly use AI. By continuing to work together with Nextech to support Indiana educators with the latest training and best practices in these areas, we can better prepare our students to seize their unique future and become our future thinkers, creators, entrepreneurs, and leaders.”
CSPD week is an annual, statewide, teacher-directed experience that includes workshops focused on curriculum, content and pedagogical skills for teachers from all grade levels, experience levels and content areas.
For the past four years, the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) and Nextech have collaborated on CSPDWeek events, which have reached 721 K-12 educators from across the state. In 2025, participants from CSPDWeek came from 147 of Indiana’s 290 districts. Teachers who attend CSPDWeek participate in a minimum of 30 hours of professional learning during the summer and at least 12 hours during the school year. Nextech offers online support for upcoming curricula units, digging deeper into concepts introduced during the summer and building community. Participating teachers earn a stipend for their efforts.
“Technology opens countless pathways to our students, but they have to know about them to benefit from them, and we rely on our pool of energetic, eager and gifted teachers to make those introductions,” Jung said. “Together, we bring AI, computer science and emerging technologies to life in creative and inspiring ways. We show students that computer science isn’t just about coding; it’s about solving meaningful problems, collaborating with others and nurturing curiosity.”
When Nextech launched in 2014, only 18 percent of Indiana schools offered CS classes. Today, 91 percent of Indiana high schools offer a foundational CS course, and Indiana is one of just 11 states with a CS graduation requirement. That leap came after Nextech provided nearly 102,000 hours of CS-related professional development to 4,422 Indiana classroom teachers.
Based on participant surveys, 27 percent of those educators had no teaching experience in Science, Technology, Engineering or Math (STEM) subjects prior to Nextech’s involvement. More than 30 percent had no prior CS teaching experience.
About Nextech
Launched in 2015, Nextech, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is dedicated to creating equitable access to computer science curriculum and experiences for all K-12 Indiana students to help each student unleash their potential to thrive in a digital economy. Nextech is a supporting organization of the Central Indiana Community Foundation. For more information visit: www.nextech.org.